FARC Dissident Rivalry Grows in Colombia
Rival FARC dissident factions are battling for control of strategic trafficking corridors and criminal economies in Colombia's Guaviare department.
The Colombian department of Guaviare is now a primary battleground between rival factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who rejected the 2016 peace deal. According to a report from Dialogo Americas, these groups are fighting for control of key trafficking routes, criminal economies, and logistics corridors, not just coca cultivation.
Two main organizations are in conflict. The Estado Mayor Central (EMC), led by Iván Mordisco, has abandoned negotiations and continues armed operations. The Estado Mayor de Bloques y Frente (EMBF), led by Alexander Díaz Mendoza, alias Calarcá Córdoba, split from the EMC in 2024 and pursues negotiations while competing for territory.
A Battle for Territory and Criminal Economies
Guaviare offers more than trafficking routes. The factions are also fighting for control of local economies like cattle ranching, land, and extortion. These activities provide financing and help launder illicit profits.
Violence escalated in January 2025. Colombian authorities reported that the EMBF-aligned Jorge Suárez Briceño Bloc attacked an EMC Amazonas Bloc camp, killing 20 people, including 6 minors.
A major clash occurred in May 2026. Fighters from the EMC's Amazonas Bloc attacked a camp of the EMBF-aligned Isaías Carvajal Front near Barranco Colorado. Authorities reported 48 killed, including 11 minors. This followed a January incident in El Retorno where 26 people were killed.
Fighting centers on areas like Barranco Colorado, El Retorno, San José del Guaviare, and Calamar. These locations control transportation corridors connecting Guaviare with Meta, Caquetá, and the Amazon. According to Fundación Paz y Reconciliación (Pares) and Corporación Nuevo Arco Iris, Calarcá's forces seek to expand toward Calamar to control cattle routes and criminal logistics.
The conflict shows the operational flexibility of these groups. They can shift fighters across departments. For example, alias Gerson Ramírez, a commander from the Carlos Patiño Front in Cauca, was reportedly killed in El Retorno after being deployed far from his normal area.
Military Pressure and Operations
Colombia has increased military pressure in Guaviare and neighboring departments.
In March 2026, the government activated the 10th Rapid Deployment Force to intensify operations against the EMC. The Colombian Military Forces stated subsequent operations neutralized more than 120 EMC fighters, though Mordisco remains at large.
Earlier, in November 2025, Operation Orión targeted the strategic municipality of Calamar. Colombian forces neutralized 25 dissident fighters and seized large quantities of ammunition and weapons.
These operations have disrupted dissident structures, but fighting continues, showing the factions' ability to regenerate.
Financing and Strategic Importance
The rival factions have diversified revenue sources combining illegal and legal activities. While coca is important, principal criminal revenues in Guaviare increasingly come from land grabbing, extortion, cattle ranching, and controlling transportation corridors.
According to Juanita Vélez, cofounder of Fundación Conflict Responses (CORE), the EMBF maintains an informal land registry and charges extortion fees per hectare of land. The group also acts as an informal authority for ranchers. Vélez states the cattle industry serves to launder drug money and that the groups have built an empire combining illicit and legitimate economies.
Guaviare is a strategic logistics hub. A network of rivers, jungle trails, and overland routes connects the Serranía de La Macarena, the Eastern Plains, and the Amazon with corridors toward Venezuela and Brazil. These routes allow movement of cocaine, weapons, supplies, and personnel across a vast region.
The rivalry extends beyond Guaviare. The EMC and EMBF also compete for river corridors and trafficking routes in Caquetá, Putumayo, and Amazonas. These Amazon basin departments have river networks connecting Colombia with Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.
The humanitarian consequences are significant. Colombian authorities and humanitarian organizations report that fighting has confined thousands of residents, disrupted transportation, and restricted access to essential services as factions seek to control movement.
